Finding energy solutions that contribute toward Caterpillar’s corporate sustainability goals

Caterpillar has set 2020 operational goals to reduce its carbon footprint by 25 percent and to increase energy efficiency by 25 percent. Product development and testing were identified as areas that could be better managed to help achieve these goals. During engine generator prototype testing, engines are run against dynamometers and generator sets are run against resistive load banks. Typically, the mechanical or electrical energy that is produced during testing isn't harnessed, which runs counter to Caterpillar's sustainability goals.

The engineering and facility management groups of Caterpillar's Large Power Systems and Electric Power Divisions teamed up in 2010 to find a solution that would allow Caterpillar to make beneficial use of the energy produced during reliability testing. The Endurance Facility at the Lafayette, Indiana Large Engine Center (LEC) was born out of these discussions.

The Endurance Facility started as a concrete pad with a basic enclosure for a pre-production C175-16 3 MW diesel generator set. In 2011, it grew to include a then pre-production G3520E generator set and a 2 MW prototype generator set - both powered by natural gas. The facility also includes a pre-engineered structure that houses the entire electrical and mechanical infrastructure required to tie the generator sets into LEC's electric utility feed.

With the current generators running, the Endurance Facility is producing 6.5 MW of the 9.0 MW electrical base load demand required by the LEC campus in Lafayette. Specialized exhaust aftertreatment systems have been installed on all generator sets to maintain ultra-low nitrous oxide and carbon emissions that surpass both federal and state requirements. The power generated at the Endurance Facility produces about one-half the carbon emissions and one-third the nitrous oxide emissions of the displaced coal-fired power, helping to contribute toward Caterpillar's corporate carbon reduction goals. The total system electrical efficiency is around 42 percent delivered, with the option to increase total efficiency via the recovery of the waste heat in the future.

A new customer meeting and demo area is being constructed at the Endurance Facility, so customers can easily view the operation. The LEC Visitor's Center has also begun incorporating the facility on customer tours.